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Ronald S Barak

The Amendment Killer

Synopsis

"WE HAVE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO."
That's the text message Supreme Court Justice Arnold Hirschfeld receives as hearings commence in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the fate of the 28th Amendment - enacted to criminalize abuse of power on the part of our political representatives.
In court to defend the amendment, retired U.S. District Court Judge Cyrus Brooks observes his old friend and law school classmate Hirschfeld acting strangely and dispatches veteran D.C. homicide detective Frank Lotello to find out why.
In the meantime, Hirschfeld's precocious and feisty 11-year-old diabetic granddaughter Cassie, brutally kidnapped to control her grandfather's swing vote upholding or invalidating the amendment, watches her insulin pump running dry and wonders which poses her greatest threat, the kidnappers or the clock. As Brooks is forced to choose between saving our nation or saving the girl.

Author Biography

Author Insight

The Idea Behind the Book

People often ask me if the original idea for The Amendment Killer was the kidnapping of Cassie Webber. The answer in short is "no." My original idea was to talk about whether and how the Constitution could be amended to criminalize political corruption, i.e., could such an amendment be lawfully enacted without Congressional support, which most people think is required, and would never be forthcoming because Congress wouldn’t want its misconduct being criminalized. The fact is that there are considered, if minority, views that Congressional consent is not required in order for the governed, as opposed to the governing, to amend the Constitution. I knew this would be too dry for many and so I needed to bring some additional excitement into the story. Thus, the kidnapping of the 11 year old granddaughter of the Supreme Court Justice thought to hold the swing or deciding vote.